Uttoxeter
Encyclopedia
Uttoxeter is a historic market town
in Staffordshire
, in the West Midlands region of England
. The current population is approximately 13,711, though new developments in the town will increase this figure. Uttoxeter lies close to the River Dove
and is near the cities of Stoke-on-Trent
, Derby
and Lichfield
. It was twinned with Raisdorf
in Germany
and Fumel
in France
.
settlement here and Bronze Age
axes have been discovered in the town (now in display in the Potteries Museum
in Stoke-on-Trent). It is possible that Uttoxeter had some form of Roman activity due to its strategic position on the River Dove and closeness to the large garrison forts at Rocester
between 69 and 400, and recently discovered fort at Stramshall
, though little collaborating archaeology has been found.
Uttoxeter also saw the last major royalist surrender of the English Civil War
, on 25 August 1648, when James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton
surrendered to Parliamentarian General John Lambert
.
Perhaps the most famous event to have occurred in Uttoxeter is the penance of Samuel Johnson
. Johnson's father ran a bookstall on Uttoxeter market, and young Samuel once refused to help out on the stall. When Johnson was older, he stood in the rain (without a hat) as a penance for his failure to assist his father. This event is commemorated with the Johnson Memorial, which stands in the Market Place, in the town centre and there is also an area of town called Johnson Road, which commemorates him.
Mary Howitt
, the Quaker writer of the poem "The Spider and the Fly
", lived in Uttoxeter for a long period of her life. The town influenced some of her poems and novels, as well as fuelling her love of natural history, which also featured in her books. Howitt Crescent, a residential road in the town, was named after her. Recently, three of her poems were displayed in the town's bus shelters by the Uttoxeter Arts Festival Committee (now defunct.
Bunting’s brewery occupied a large area of the centre of the town since the Victorian era. It stopped producing beer in the 1930s after being bought by Bass Brewery of Burton upon Trent
. The last remains of the brewery were demolished in the 1960s to make way for the Maltings shopping precinct and car park. The brewery clock was recently re-furbished and installed on the town hall.
In 1945, Joseph Cyril Bamford founded J C Bamford Excavators Limited in Uttoxeter, now known as JCB
. The firm, based in the nearby village of Rocester
, is the world's third-largest construction equipment manufacturer. The firm's first vehicle was a tipping trailer made from war-surplus materials, which J. C. Bamford built in a rented lock-up garage in Uttoxeter. The Bamford family had previously started Bamfords, later Bamford International Farm Machinery which was a large employer in the town from the end of the 19th century through to the early 1980s when it gradually went into decline before closing in 1986.
Uttoxeter celebrated its 700 year anniversary of the awarding of a Market charter (1308) in 2008, which underpins the market provision on Saturdays and Wednesdays in particular, and other festival markets. The 1308 charter followed a more general Royal Charter granted to the towns' burgesses in 1252. The originals reside at the National Archives in Kew
and the Deferrers Museum in Leicester
.
The writer and director, Shane Meadows
was born and brought up in Uttoxeter. Parts of his film, A Room for Romeo Brass
were filmed at Oldfield's Hall Middle School in 1997. He is also known for the films Twenty Four Seven
, Once Upon a Time in the Midlands
and This Is England
. His mum was the lollipop lady at the High School, Thomas Alleyne's.
Other notables include:
Paul Beech the six times world toe wrestling champion is from Uttoxeter he now resides in nearby Burton on Trent and is the current landlord of the New Talbot Hotel in Anglesey Road B-O-T.
Thomas Fradgley was Uttoxeter's own architect. He designed the Town Hall,1854, the Johnson Memorial,1854, St.Michael's Church, Stramshall, St.Lawrence Church, Bramshall,1835, St.Mary's Church, Uttoxeter, Marchington Church. He was involved with Pugin and other architects in designs for the 16th Earl of Shrewsbury at Alton Towers including the figures of the Talbot Hounds at the entrance tower, 1830, the Angel Corbels in the Lady chapel, 1833, Alton Towers Chapel with Joseph Potter and completed in 1833, Swiss Cottage or Harper's Cottage, Farley, He was the architect in the improvement of several local schools, Uttoxeter National School, Hanbury Free School, enlarged in 1848, Oakamoor N.S., Cauldon Low N.S., Alton N.S., and Draycott in Hanbury School. It is believed he designed Moorlands, Byrds Lane, Uttoxeter for one of the Bamfords. He married Clara Warner from Bramshall. Their only child Thomas died aged 6. Thomas Fradgley died in 1883 aged 83.
Alfred McCann (1865–1953) was Uttoxeter's most famous photographer with a shop at 25&27 High Street. He photographed hundreds of local scenes which were sold as postcards and sent all over the world. McCann postcards today sell for a lot more than their original value. Staffordshire County Museum at Shugborough has a large collection of McCann postcards. The following excerpt from Staffordshire Pasttrack gives a brief synopsis of the McCann family and some McCann photos can be seen on the site.
Edward McCann was born in Hereford in the 1820s and his family originally came from Ireland. He served in the Army and on his return to England settled in Uttoxeter in about 1860. He was a Sergeant Major in the local Yeomanry Cavalry and became Assistant Overseer, responsible for collecting poor rates in the town. In 1870 he began taking photographic portraits and by 1880 had opened a tobacconists shop. The photography business was taken over by his son, Alfred in 1884, who in turn was succeeded in 1943 by his son Gerald (1897–1970). The business finally closed in 1966.
. The firm is headquartered in Rocester
, with a factory in Uttoxeter and one in Cheadle
. Fox's Biscuits (previously Elkes and Adams) has a factory in Uttoxeter. Elkes were the creators of the famous malted milk
biscuit.
The town's proximity to the Alton Towers
Theme Park and Resort and the Peak District
National Park means tourism is an important part of the local economy. Uttoxeter Racecourse
, home to the Midlands Grand National, also brings a lot of visitors to the town, as do the town centre's shops and markets.
Agriculture is still important to the local economy. The town is set in rich dairy farming
country. Uttoxeter previously housed a large dairy and was historically a major trader in butter and cheese. The farming cooperative Dairy Farmers of Britain
had a large dairy in the nearby village of Fole, but this closed in 2008. The next year the firm went into administration. A new cattle market is due to be built in the town, after the old one was demolished in 2004.
Uttoxeter town centre has gone through a development scheme, with the Market Place, Market Street, Queens Street, Carter Street, and High Street having undergone a major transformation.
Dovefields Retail Park was first created in 1998 with the opening of a Tesco
supermarket on the edge of the town. The retail park was further expanded in 2002 with the creation of seven large retail outlets. In 2005, work commenced on a new entertainment development. It is home to a bowling alley, a cinema, a children's crèche and a fitness centre as well as business units. There is still a lot of controversy regarding the Tesco store, which was extended to around 50000 sq ft (4,645.2 m²) in 2008. In 2010, another extension, measuring 8500 sq ft (789.7 m²), is due to be built.
The old Cattle Market, which closed in November 2005, has been demolished to make way for a retail and housing development. There have been significant delays to the scheme, but developers say they hope building work will commence before the end of 2010. A replacement cattle market has been granted planning permission elsewhere in the town, but after several years no development has taken place.
The existing town hall is currently under evaluation to ascertain if it can fulfil a wider range of functions. A building inspection has reported some serious structural problems with the current state of the building.
The old JCB site in the centre of Uttoxeter is currently lying vacant and is awaiting redevelopment, after the firm moved operations to one of its sites on the edge of town. It has lodged plans to build hundreds of homes, a park, a retail development, health complex and petrol station on the old Pinfold Street site.
trunk road. The town also has a mainline railway station, Uttoxeter railway station
which was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway
on 2 October 1881, however, there were earlier stations opened by the North Staffordshire Railway.
The bus stop next to the station runs an hourly service to Cheadle
, Stoke-on-Trent
and Alton Towers. Buses to Stafford
run every 2 hours; buses to Burton upon Trent
run every hour.
At one time it was also the terminus of a branch of the Caldon Canal
(aka the Uttoxeter Canal
), although most signs of this, apart from an area of Uttoxeter called "The Wharf", have now disappeared—largely because much of the bed of the canal was used in the 19th century as the route of the North Staffordshire Railway main line from Uttoxeter to Macclesfield
(which has now also disappeared).
The nearest airport from the town is East Midlands, which is around 29 miles away.
, from the police station on Balance Street. HM Prison Dovegate, in the nearby village of Marchington
, is a Category B
men's private prison
operated by the Serco Group
. HM Prison Sudbury
is located just over 6 miles away and over the Derbyshire boundary, and is operated by HM Prison Service. It is a Category D
men's open prison
.
Statutory emergency fire and rescue service
is provided by the Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service
. Uttoxeter Fire Station is on Cheadle Road to the north of the town.
There is no hospital
in Uttoxeter, but the surrounding Queen's Hospital in Burton, Stafford Hospital, the University Hospital of North Staffordshire
in Stoke-on-Trent and Royal Derby Hospital all serve the town. There is no ambulance station but a team of Rapid Response Paramedics are based in the town and supported by volunteer Community first responders
.
Utility firm South Staffordshire Water
manages Uttoxeter's drinking
and waste water.
St. Mary's Catholic Church
in Balance Street was Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin's first church design. He later worked on Alton Towers
and the Houses of Parliament. Three miles north west of Uttoxeter are the remains of Croxden Abbey
, founded in 1176 by Bertram de Verdun
for monks of the Cistercian Order.
Redfern's Cottage:Museum of Uttoxeter Life is on Carter Street and is run by a group of volunteers. The restored timber framed building houses local history displays.
The town's refurbished Market Place contains the town's main war memorial, as well as the Millennium Monument and the Dr. Johnson Memorial. The Wednesday and Saturday Markets are held weekly in the Market Place. The Spook Market is run every Friday. There's also a Farmers' Market.
Smallwood Manor, just over a mile outside the town and built in 1886, was formerly a country house and is now home to Smallwood Manor Preparatory School. The National Trust's
Museum of Childhood is located at nearby Sudbury Hall.
Uttoxeter Racecourse
is one of Uttoxeter's most famous landmarks and is a short walk from the town centre. Bramshall Road Park is the town's recreational ground and offers tennis courts, skate ramps, a basketball court, a football pitch, a bowling green and two children's play areas, as well as floral arrangements and fields. Uttoxeter Golf Course is a short walk from the main town.
The Alton Towers Resort is around 10 miles (16 km) from Uttoxeter. The Peak District
National Park is about 20 miles away.
Uttoxeter Civic Society
was re-established in 2004 to act as a civic watchdog and to protect and promote the history and heritage of Uttoxeter.
Each year, Uttoxeter Lions run a Bonfire and Fireworks Night in November and an annual Christmas fair and market.
Uttoxeter Choral Society was founded in 1881 and is the third oldest choral society in the United Kingdom. They have a continuous record of making music which is matched by very few other societies.
The Uttoxeter May Festival, a traditional folk music and dance event, takes place in early May every year.
It is also the home of the Acoustic Festival of Britain http://www.acousticfestival.co.uk
and BBC East Midlands
and is in the ITV Central television regions. The local BBC radio stations is BBC Radio Derby
, Independent Local Radio includes Touch, Signal 1
and Capital East Midlands
.
by comedians Stephen Fry
and Hugh Laurie
in their BBC
television series A Bit of Fry and Laurie
. In one episode of the sketch, two obnoxious business entrepreneurs (who run various companies in Uttoxeter throughout the series) develop grand plans for a popular sports centre. The sketch derives its humour from the fact that Uttoxeter is in fact a very quiet and sedate town. The name can also be said with mild humorous effect.
The town also featured in Countryfile
, as a 'mystery town'. The town's cattle market featured in the programme; it was the last cattle market ever in the town centre site in 2005. Local people participated in the programme from the local Uttoxeter Advertiser and Uttoxeter Racecourse staff.
Oldfields Hall Middle School was featured in the film A Room for Romeo Brass
, written and directed by Shane Meadows and Paul Fraser
, two Uxonians who have risen to fame.
The town also featured in a critically praised short story entitled "The Long, Long Road to Uttoxeter" by journalist and TV presenter Rod Liddle
in his book Too Beautiful for You.
Top Gear presenter and journalist Jeremy Clarkson
has previously written that his favourite car journey of all time was in an Aston Martin
from Newcastle upon Tyne
to Uttoxeter Race Course.
Utoxeter Racecourse has been used on several occasions as the racecourse visited by residents of the popular soap Coronation Street
Uttoxeter is the home of Rockin' Johnny Austin MBE - recognised for this charity work, rock and roll songs such as Rockabilly Stroll which was a minor hit in the 1980s. John also produced a World Cup Single in 2010 call Victory Day which was filmed on location in Uttoxeter Market Place.
, Windsor Park Middle School and Ryecroft Middle School, Rocester) and a high school. The high school, Thomas Alleyne's
, has over 1,400 pupils, an astroturf
football pitch, swimming pool, gym
nasium and several grass football pitches. Thomas Alleyne's is the only high school in Staffordshire that offers an accelerated mathematics course, RAF fast track scheme and a farm. The school also includes a sixth form
centre, and is one of three schools founded by the 16th century priest Thomas Alleyne
.
Prior to this educational structure, the town had a selective secondary and grammar school system which consisted of Windsor Park Boys' School, Oldfields Girls' School and Alleyne's Grammar School.
, which is home to the Midlands Grand National, is one of Uttoxeter's most famous landmarks and is a short walk from the town centre.
Uttoxeter Rugby Club
was formed in 1982 when JCB Rugby club began to play its games at Oldfields sport and social club in Uttoxeter establishing the first Rugby
side in the town traditionally associated with football. In those days there was no league structure in place nationally so Uttoxeter played "friendly" fixtures and developed great rivalries with other local sides including Cannock and Rugeley which have endured over the last 20 years.
Uttoxeter has a small football club called Uttoxeter Town. There is also Rocester F.C.
in the nearby village of Rocester
.
Bramshall Road Park is the town's recreational ground and offers tennis courts, skate ramps, a basketball court, a football pitch, a bowling green and two children's play areas, as well as floral arrangements and fields. Uttoxeter Golf Course is a short walk from the main town. The Manor golf course is 3 miles out of the centre.
Uttoxeter Leisure Centre in Oldfields Road has a swimming pool, gym and sports hall.
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, in the West Midlands region of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The current population is approximately 13,711, though new developments in the town will increase this figure. Uttoxeter lies close to the River Dove
River Dove, Derbyshire
The River Dove is the principal river of the southwestern Peak District, in the Midlands of England and is around in length. It rises on Axe Edge Moor near Buxton and flows generally south to its confluence with the River Trent at Newton Solney. From there, its waters reach the North Sea via the...
and is near the cities of Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
, Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
and Lichfield
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
. It was twinned with Raisdorf
Raisdorf
Raisdorf is a former municipality in the district of Plön, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated approx. 9km southeast of Kiel. Until 2003 it was twinned with Uttoxeter, United Kingdom. On 1 March 2008, it was merged with Klausdorf to form the town Schwentinental....
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Fumel
Fumel
Fumel is a commune in the Lot-et-Garonne department in south-western France.It is twinned with Uttoxeter, United Kingdom.In 1438 it was pillaged by Rodrigo de Villandrando....
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
History
Uttoxeter's name has had 79 spellings since it was mentioned in the Domesday Book as "Wotocheshede": it probably came from Anglo-Saxon Wuttuceshǣddre = "Wuttuc's homestead on the heath". Some historians point to pre-RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
settlement here and Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
axes have been discovered in the town (now in display in the Potteries Museum
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery
The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery is in Hanley, one of the six towns of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. Admission is free.One of the four local authority museums in the City, the other three being Gladstone Pottery Museum, Ford Green Hall and Etruria Industrial Museum, The Potteries Museum & Art...
in Stoke-on-Trent). It is possible that Uttoxeter had some form of Roman activity due to its strategic position on the River Dove and closeness to the large garrison forts at Rocester
Rocester
Rocester is a village and civil parish in the East Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. Its name is spelt Rowcestre in the Domesday Book.-Geography:...
between 69 and 400, and recently discovered fort at Stramshall
Stramshall
Stramshall is a village within the civil parish of Uttoxeter Rural in the county of Staffordshire, England.. The village is 2.1 miles north of the town of Uttoxeter, 16.3 miles north east of Stafford and 143 miles north west of London. The village lies 0.8 miles north of the A50 that links...
, though little collaborating archaeology has been found.
Uttoxeter also saw the last major royalist surrender of the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, on 25 August 1648, when James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton
James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton
General Sir James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton KG was a Scottish nobleman and influential Civil war military leader.-Young Arran:...
surrendered to Parliamentarian General John Lambert
John Lambert (general)
John Lambert was an English Parliamentary general and politician. He fought during the English Civil War and then in Oliver Cromwell's Scottish campaign , becoming thereafter active in civilian politics until his dismissal by Cromwell in 1657...
.
Perhaps the most famous event to have occurred in Uttoxeter is the penance of Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer...
. Johnson's father ran a bookstall on Uttoxeter market, and young Samuel once refused to help out on the stall. When Johnson was older, he stood in the rain (without a hat) as a penance for his failure to assist his father. This event is commemorated with the Johnson Memorial, which stands in the Market Place, in the town centre and there is also an area of town called Johnson Road, which commemorates him.
Mary Howitt
Mary Howitt
Mary Howitt was an English poet, and author of the famous poem The Spider and the Fly. She was born Mary Botham at Coleford, in Gloucestershire, the temporary residence of her parents, while her father, Samuel Botham, a prosperous Quaker of Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, was looking after some mining...
, the Quaker writer of the poem "The Spider and the Fly
The Spider and the Fly (poem)
The Spider and the Fly is a poem by Mary Howitt , published in 1829. The first line of the poem is "'Will you walk into my parlor?' said the Spider to the Fly." When Lewis Carroll was readying Alice's Adventures Under Ground for publication he replaced a parody he had made of a negro minstrel song...
", lived in Uttoxeter for a long period of her life. The town influenced some of her poems and novels, as well as fuelling her love of natural history, which also featured in her books. Howitt Crescent, a residential road in the town, was named after her. Recently, three of her poems were displayed in the town's bus shelters by the Uttoxeter Arts Festival Committee (now defunct.
Bunting’s brewery occupied a large area of the centre of the town since the Victorian era. It stopped producing beer in the 1930s after being bought by Bass Brewery of Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England. Its associated adjective is "Burtonian"....
. The last remains of the brewery were demolished in the 1960s to make way for the Maltings shopping precinct and car park. The brewery clock was recently re-furbished and installed on the town hall.
In 1945, Joseph Cyril Bamford founded J C Bamford Excavators Limited in Uttoxeter, now known as JCB
J. C. Bamford
JCB is a global construction, demolition and agricultural equipment company headquartered in Rocester, United Kingdom. It is the world's third-largest construction equipment manufacturer. It produces over 300 types of machines, including diggers , excavators, tractors and diesel engines...
. The firm, based in the nearby village of Rocester
Rocester
Rocester is a village and civil parish in the East Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. Its name is spelt Rowcestre in the Domesday Book.-Geography:...
, is the world's third-largest construction equipment manufacturer. The firm's first vehicle was a tipping trailer made from war-surplus materials, which J. C. Bamford built in a rented lock-up garage in Uttoxeter. The Bamford family had previously started Bamfords, later Bamford International Farm Machinery which was a large employer in the town from the end of the 19th century through to the early 1980s when it gradually went into decline before closing in 1986.
Uttoxeter celebrated its 700 year anniversary of the awarding of a Market charter (1308) in 2008, which underpins the market provision on Saturdays and Wednesdays in particular, and other festival markets. The 1308 charter followed a more general Royal Charter granted to the towns' burgesses in 1252. The originals reside at the National Archives in Kew
Kew
Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace...
and the Deferrers Museum in Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
.
The writer and director, Shane Meadows
Shane Meadows
Shane Meadows is an English film director, screenwriter, occasional actor and BAFTA winner.-Background:Meadows grew up in the Westlands Road area of Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. His father was a long distance lorry driver and his mother worked in a fish and chip shop...
was born and brought up in Uttoxeter. Parts of his film, A Room for Romeo Brass
A Room for Romeo Brass
A Room for Romeo Brass is a 1999 comedy drama film directed and written by Shane Meadows. It was co-written by frequent Meadows collaborator Paul Fraser....
were filmed at Oldfield's Hall Middle School in 1997. He is also known for the films Twenty Four Seven
Twenty Four Seven (film)
Twenty Four Seven is a 1997 film directed and written by Shane Meadows. It was co-written by frequent Meadows collaborator Paul Fraser.-Plot:In a typical English working-class town, the juveniles have nothing more to do than hang around in gangs...
, Once Upon a Time in the Midlands
Once Upon a Time in the Midlands
Once Upon a Time in the Midlands is a 2002 film directed and co-written by Shane Meadows and set in an anonymous town in the Midlands. It was filmed on location in Nottingham.-Plot:...
and This Is England
This Is England
-Track listing:#"54-46 Was My Number" - Toots & The Maytals#"Come On Eileen" - Dexys Midnight Runners#"Tainted Love" - Soft Cell#"Underpass/Flares" - Movie Dialogue From This Is England#"Nicole " - Gravenhurst...
. His mum was the lollipop lady at the High School, Thomas Alleyne's.
Other notables include:
- Admiral Lord Gardner - commanded a younger Nelson) was born at the Manor house in the town in 1742, and died at Bath in 1810.
- Jen Fiesty Robinson, legendary dancer, performed with Hot Gossip.
- Bartley GormanBartley GormanBartley Gorman V was an Irish Traveller who was the undefeated Bare-knuckle boxing champion of United Kingdom and Ireland, often referred to as King of the Gypsies....
bare knuckle boxer, lived for many years in the town. - Francis Redfern - Historian, the first writer to publish a history of the town in 1865.
- Henry YeveleHenry YeveleHenry Yevele was the most prolific and successful master mason active in late medieval England. The first document relating to him is dated 3 December 1353, when he purchased the freedom of London...
- Medieval architect. - Jack Holland, writer and co-founder of the Rough GuidesRough GuidesRough Guides Ltd is a travel guidebook and reference publisher, owned by Pearson PLC. Their travel titles cover more than 200 destinations, and are distributed worldwide through the Penguin Group...
travel series, attended Alleyne's Grammar School. - Joy Dunicliff, local historian and author
- Paul FraserPaul FraserPaul Ian Fraser came to prominence through his involvement in the purchase and sale of the famous stamps firm Stanley Gibbons which he sold at a great profit, only to see most of the proceeds lost following trading difficulties...
, script writer behind film's including A Room for Romeo BrassA Room for Romeo BrassA Room for Romeo Brass is a 1999 comedy drama film directed and written by Shane Meadows. It was co-written by frequent Meadows collaborator Paul Fraser....
and director of My Brothers. - Peter VaughanPeter VaughanPeter Vaughan is an English character actor, known for many supporting roles in a variety of British film and television productions. He has worked extensively on the stage, becoming known for roles such as police inspectors, Soviet agents and similar parts...
- actor who lived in the town for part of his young life. - Robert BakewellRobert Bakewell (ironsmith)Robert Bakewell was an English smith. He took an apprenticeship in London as an iron worker and became an extremely skilled ironsmith.In 1706, he started working at Melbourne Hall for Thomas Coke, and living in the town of Melbourne...
- Artist and Metal worker. - Sir Simon DeggeSimon DeggeSir Simon Degge was born in Staffordshire but settled in Derby. He became a High Sheriff of Derbyshire. It was said that he served his year as Sheriff in "barrister robes and with a sword by his side". Degge was a Royalist and wrote a reference book on the law and rights of a parson called the...
, an antiquary, well known for his manuscript notes on Plot's Natural History of Staffordshire. - Rockin' Johnny Austin MBE, a local charity fundraiser.
Paul Beech the six times world toe wrestling champion is from Uttoxeter he now resides in nearby Burton on Trent and is the current landlord of the New Talbot Hotel in Anglesey Road B-O-T.
Thomas Fradgley was Uttoxeter's own architect. He designed the Town Hall,1854, the Johnson Memorial,1854, St.Michael's Church, Stramshall, St.Lawrence Church, Bramshall,1835, St.Mary's Church, Uttoxeter, Marchington Church. He was involved with Pugin and other architects in designs for the 16th Earl of Shrewsbury at Alton Towers including the figures of the Talbot Hounds at the entrance tower, 1830, the Angel Corbels in the Lady chapel, 1833, Alton Towers Chapel with Joseph Potter and completed in 1833, Swiss Cottage or Harper's Cottage, Farley, He was the architect in the improvement of several local schools, Uttoxeter National School, Hanbury Free School, enlarged in 1848, Oakamoor N.S., Cauldon Low N.S., Alton N.S., and Draycott in Hanbury School. It is believed he designed Moorlands, Byrds Lane, Uttoxeter for one of the Bamfords. He married Clara Warner from Bramshall. Their only child Thomas died aged 6. Thomas Fradgley died in 1883 aged 83.
Alfred McCann (1865–1953) was Uttoxeter's most famous photographer with a shop at 25&27 High Street. He photographed hundreds of local scenes which were sold as postcards and sent all over the world. McCann postcards today sell for a lot more than their original value. Staffordshire County Museum at Shugborough has a large collection of McCann postcards. The following excerpt from Staffordshire Pasttrack gives a brief synopsis of the McCann family and some McCann photos can be seen on the site.
Edward McCann was born in Hereford in the 1820s and his family originally came from Ireland. He served in the Army and on his return to England settled in Uttoxeter in about 1860. He was a Sergeant Major in the local Yeomanry Cavalry and became Assistant Overseer, responsible for collecting poor rates in the town. In 1870 he began taking photographic portraits and by 1880 had opened a tobacconists shop. The photography business was taken over by his son, Alfred in 1884, who in turn was succeeded in 1943 by his son Gerald (1897–1970). The business finally closed in 1966.
Economy
One of the main employers in Uttoxeter is the global construction, demolition and agricultural equipment company JCBJ. C. Bamford
JCB is a global construction, demolition and agricultural equipment company headquartered in Rocester, United Kingdom. It is the world's third-largest construction equipment manufacturer. It produces over 300 types of machines, including diggers , excavators, tractors and diesel engines...
. The firm is headquartered in Rocester
Rocester
Rocester is a village and civil parish in the East Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. Its name is spelt Rowcestre in the Domesday Book.-Geography:...
, with a factory in Uttoxeter and one in Cheadle
Cheadle, Staffordshire
Cheadle is a small market town near Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, with a population of 12,158 according to the 2001 census. It is roughly from the city of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Birmingham and south of Manchester...
. Fox's Biscuits (previously Elkes and Adams) has a factory in Uttoxeter. Elkes were the creators of the famous malted milk
Malted milk (biscuit)
The malted milk is a type of biscuit, first produced by Elkes Biscuits of Uttoxeter in 1924. They are named after their malt flavouring and milk content....
biscuit.
The town's proximity to the Alton Towers
Alton Towers
Alton Towers is a theme park and resort located in Staffordshire, England. It attracts around 2.7 million visitors per year making it the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom. Alton Towers is also the 9th most visited theme park in Europe...
Theme Park and Resort and the Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
National Park means tourism is an important part of the local economy. Uttoxeter Racecourse
Uttoxeter Racecourse
Uttoxeter Racecourse is a National Hunt racecourse in the town of Uttoxeter, in Staffordshire, England.Uttoxeter is a left-handed oval shaped course of one mile two and a half furlongs in circumference....
, home to the Midlands Grand National, also brings a lot of visitors to the town, as do the town centre's shops and markets.
Agriculture is still important to the local economy. The town is set in rich dairy farming
Dairy farming
Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, enterprise, for long-term production of milk, usually from dairy cows but also from goats and sheep, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy factory for processing and eventual retail sale.Most dairy farms...
country. Uttoxeter previously housed a large dairy and was historically a major trader in butter and cheese. The farming cooperative Dairy Farmers of Britain
Dairy Farmers of Britain
Dairy Farmers of Britain was a UK co-operative milk processor that bought milk directly from farmers and had several factories producing milk and cheese products for sale in various regions throughout the UK...
had a large dairy in the nearby village of Fole, but this closed in 2008. The next year the firm went into administration. A new cattle market is due to be built in the town, after the old one was demolished in 2004.
Developments
Dovefields Retail Park was first created in 1998 with the opening of a Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
supermarket on the edge of the town. The retail park was further expanded in 2002 with the creation of seven large retail outlets. In 2005, work commenced on a new entertainment development. It is home to a bowling alley, a cinema, a children's crèche and a fitness centre as well as business units. There is still a lot of controversy regarding the Tesco store, which was extended to around 50000 sq ft (4,645.2 m²) in 2008. In 2010, another extension, measuring 8500 sq ft (789.7 m²), is due to be built.
The old Cattle Market, which closed in November 2005, has been demolished to make way for a retail and housing development. There have been significant delays to the scheme, but developers say they hope building work will commence before the end of 2010. A replacement cattle market has been granted planning permission elsewhere in the town, but after several years no development has taken place.
The existing town hall is currently under evaluation to ascertain if it can fulfil a wider range of functions. A building inspection has reported some serious structural problems with the current state of the building.
The old JCB site in the centre of Uttoxeter is currently lying vacant and is awaiting redevelopment, after the firm moved operations to one of its sites on the edge of town. It has lodged plans to build hundreds of homes, a park, a retail development, health complex and petrol station on the old Pinfold Street site.
Location grid
Transport and infrastructure
Uttoxeter is on the main A50A50 road
The A50 is a major trunk road in England. It runs from Warrington to Leicester; however, it was once a much longer route.-Current route:...
trunk road. The town also has a mainline railway station, Uttoxeter railway station
Uttoxeter railway station
Uttoxeter railway station serves the town of Uttoxeter in Staffordshire, England. It is served by trains on the Crewe-Derby Line which is also a Community rail line known as the North Staffordshire line...
which was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway
North Staffordshire Railway
The North Staffordshire Railway was a British railway company formed in 1845 to promote a number of lines in the Staffordshire Potteries and surrounding areas in Staffordshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire and Shropshire....
on 2 October 1881, however, there were earlier stations opened by the North Staffordshire Railway.
The bus stop next to the station runs an hourly service to Cheadle
Cheadle, Staffordshire
Cheadle is a small market town near Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, with a population of 12,158 according to the 2001 census. It is roughly from the city of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Birmingham and south of Manchester...
, Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
and Alton Towers. Buses to Stafford
Stafford
Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14...
run every 2 hours; buses to Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England. Its associated adjective is "Burtonian"....
run every hour.
At one time it was also the terminus of a branch of the Caldon Canal
Caldon Canal
The Caldon Canal , opened in 1779, runs 18 miles from Etruria, in Stoke-on-Trent where it leaves the Trent and Mersey Canal at the summit level, to Froghall, Staffordshire...
(aka the Uttoxeter Canal
Uttoxeter Canal
The Uttoxeter Canal was a thirteen-mile extension of the Caldon Canal running from Froghall as far as Uttoxeter in Staffordshire, England. It was authorised in 1797, but did not open until 1811. With the exception of the first lock and basin at Froghall, it closed in 1849, in order that the...
), although most signs of this, apart from an area of Uttoxeter called "The Wharf", have now disappeared—largely because much of the bed of the canal was used in the 19th century as the route of the North Staffordshire Railway main line from Uttoxeter to Macclesfield
Macclesfield
Macclesfield is a market town within the unitary authority of Cheshire East, the county palatine of Chester, also known as the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The population of the Macclesfield urban sub-area at the time of the 2001 census was 50,688...
(which has now also disappeared).
The nearest airport from the town is East Midlands, which is around 29 miles away.
Public services
Policing in Uttoxeter is provided by Staffordshire PoliceStaffordshire Police
Staffordshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent in the West Midlands of England...
, from the police station on Balance Street. HM Prison Dovegate, in the nearby village of Marchington
Marchington
Marchington is a small village in East Staffordshire, England. It lies between the towns of Burton upon Trent and Uttoxeter. Marchington has a small shop, a first school, two churches and two pubs...
, is a Category B
Prison security categories in the United Kingdom
There are four prisoner security categories in the United Kingdom used to classify every adult prisoner for the purposes of assigning them to a prison. The categories are based upon the severity of the crime and the risk posed should the person escape....
men's private prison
Private prison
A private prison, jail, or detention center is a place in which individuals are physically confined or interned by a third party that is contracted by a government agency...
operated by the Serco Group
Serco Group
Serco Group plc is a government services company based in Hook, North Hampshire in the United Kingdom. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
. HM Prison Sudbury
Sudbury (HM Prison)
HM Prison Sudbury is a Category D men's prison, located in the village of Sudbury in Derbyshire, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
is located just over 6 miles away and over the Derbyshire boundary, and is operated by HM Prison Service. It is a Category D
Prison security categories in the United Kingdom
There are four prisoner security categories in the United Kingdom used to classify every adult prisoner for the purposes of assigning them to a prison. The categories are based upon the severity of the crime and the risk posed should the person escape....
men's open prison
Open prison
An open prison is an informal description applied to any penal establishment in which the prisoners are trusted to serve their sentences with minimal supervision and perimeter security and so do not need to be locked up in prison cells...
.
Statutory emergency fire and rescue service
Fire service in the United Kingdom
The fire services in the United Kingdom operate under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales...
is provided by the Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service responsible for fire protection, prevention, intervention and emergency rescue in the county of Staffordshire and unitary area of Stoke on Trent....
. Uttoxeter Fire Station is on Cheadle Road to the north of the town.
There is no hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
in Uttoxeter, but the surrounding Queen's Hospital in Burton, Stafford Hospital, the University Hospital of North Staffordshire
University Hospital of North Staffordshire
The University Hospital of North Staffordshire is a major teaching & research hospital in Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent, England, near the border with Newcastle-under-Lyme...
in Stoke-on-Trent and Royal Derby Hospital all serve the town. There is no ambulance station but a team of Rapid Response Paramedics are based in the town and supported by volunteer Community first responders
Community first responder
A Community First Responder , is a person available to be dispatched by an ambulance control centre to attend medical emergencies in their local area...
.
Utility firm South Staffordshire Water
South Staffordshire Water
South Staffordshire Water PLC known as South Staffs Water, is a privately owned water company supplying water to parts of Staffordshire and the West Midlands, England....
manages Uttoxeter's drinking
Drinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
and waste water.
Places of interest
St. Mary's Catholic Church, Uttoxeter
St Mary's Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic church in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, United Kingdom it opened in 1839, to avoid confusion with the other St Mary's church in the town it is referred to as The Catholic Church by locals. It is part of the parish of St...
in Balance Street was Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin's first church design. He later worked on Alton Towers
Alton Towers
Alton Towers is a theme park and resort located in Staffordshire, England. It attracts around 2.7 million visitors per year making it the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom. Alton Towers is also the 9th most visited theme park in Europe...
and the Houses of Parliament. Three miles north west of Uttoxeter are the remains of Croxden Abbey
Croxden Abbey
Croxden Abbey was a Cistercian abbey at Croxden, Staffordshire, England.In 1179, Bertram de Verdun, the lord of the manor of Croxden, endowed a site for a new abbey, and 12 monks arrived from the Savigniac Cistercian mother house of Aunay-sur-Odon in Normandy to build the new abbey over the next 50...
, founded in 1176 by Bertram de Verdun
Bertram de Verdun
Bertram de Verdun was the name of several members of the Norman family of Verdun, native of Avranchin.For the historian Mark Hagger, the Verdun family lived lavishly in Normandy where they were minor land holders, and after the Norman conquest of England they were granted land in England...
for monks of the Cistercian Order.
Redfern's Cottage:Museum of Uttoxeter Life is on Carter Street and is run by a group of volunteers. The restored timber framed building houses local history displays.
The town's refurbished Market Place contains the town's main war memorial, as well as the Millennium Monument and the Dr. Johnson Memorial. The Wednesday and Saturday Markets are held weekly in the Market Place. The Spook Market is run every Friday. There's also a Farmers' Market.
Smallwood Manor, just over a mile outside the town and built in 1886, was formerly a country house and is now home to Smallwood Manor Preparatory School. The National Trust's
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
Museum of Childhood is located at nearby Sudbury Hall.
Uttoxeter Racecourse
Uttoxeter Racecourse
Uttoxeter Racecourse is a National Hunt racecourse in the town of Uttoxeter, in Staffordshire, England.Uttoxeter is a left-handed oval shaped course of one mile two and a half furlongs in circumference....
is one of Uttoxeter's most famous landmarks and is a short walk from the town centre. Bramshall Road Park is the town's recreational ground and offers tennis courts, skate ramps, a basketball court, a football pitch, a bowling green and two children's play areas, as well as floral arrangements and fields. Uttoxeter Golf Course is a short walk from the main town.
The Alton Towers Resort is around 10 miles (16 km) from Uttoxeter. The Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
National Park is about 20 miles away.
Culture
The Wednesday and Saturday Markets are held weekly in the town's refurbished Market Place. The Spook Market is run every Friday in the Market Place. Since 2007, Uttoxeter's new Market Place has been home to a new Farmers' Market, run by the local branch of the National Farmers Union.Uttoxeter Civic Society
Civic society
In the United Kingdom a civic society is a voluntary body or society which aims to represent the needs of a local community.A civic society may campaign for high standards of planning of new buildings or traffic schemes, conservation of historic buildings, and may present awards for good standards...
was re-established in 2004 to act as a civic watchdog and to protect and promote the history and heritage of Uttoxeter.
Each year, Uttoxeter Lions run a Bonfire and Fireworks Night in November and an annual Christmas fair and market.
Uttoxeter Choral Society was founded in 1881 and is the third oldest choral society in the United Kingdom. They have a continuous record of making music which is matched by very few other societies.
The Uttoxeter May Festival, a traditional folk music and dance event, takes place in early May every year.
It is also the home of the Acoustic Festival of Britain http://www.acousticfestival.co.uk
Media
Uttoxeter's newspapers are the Uttoxeter Advertiser, the Uttoxeter Post & Times and the Times & Echo. The town receives both BBC West MidlandsBBC West Midlands
BBC West Midlands is the BBC English Region producing local television, radio, web and teletext content for West Midlands metropolitan county, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and parts of Northern Gloucestershire - although the county as part of the south west...
and BBC East Midlands
BBC East Midlands
BBC East Midlands is the BBC English Region covering Derbyshire, Leicestershire, south Nottinghamshire, South Kesteven and Rutland.-Television:...
and is in the ITV Central television regions. The local BBC radio stations is BBC Radio Derby
BBC Radio Derby
BBC Radio Derby is the BBC Local Radio station for the English county of Derbyshire, covering all but the northern tip of the county, and also serves eastern Staffordshire, mainly Uttoxeter and Burton upon Trent. The station broadcasts from its studios in Derby on 104.5, 95.3 and 96.0 FM and 1116...
, Independent Local Radio includes Touch, Signal 1
Signal 1
Signal One is a British Independent Local Radio station broadcasting from studios in Shelton, Stoke-on-Trent to Staffordshire and Cheshire on 96.4 , 96.9 and 102.6 MHz FM for Cheshire, Stafford and North Staffordshire respectively. It also broadcasts on the Stoke "UTV-EMAP Stoke-on-Trent"...
and Capital East Midlands
Capital East Midlands
Capital East Midlands is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to the East Midlands. The station, owned and operated by Global Radio, forms part of the nine-station Capital radio network...
.
Television appearances
Uttoxeter obtained minor fame as the setting of a recurring comedy sketchSketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
by comedians Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
and Hugh Laurie
Hugh Laurie
James Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE , better known as Hugh Laurie , is an English actor, voice artist, comedian, writer, musician, recording artist, and director...
in their BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television series A Bit of Fry and Laurie
A Bit of Fry and Laurie
A Bit of Fry & Laurie is a British sketch comedy television series starring former Cambridge Footlights members Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, broadcast on both BBC1 and BBC2 between 1989 and 1995. It ran for four series and totalled 26 episodes, including a 35 minute pilot episode in 1987.As in The...
. In one episode of the sketch, two obnoxious business entrepreneurs (who run various companies in Uttoxeter throughout the series) develop grand plans for a popular sports centre. The sketch derives its humour from the fact that Uttoxeter is in fact a very quiet and sedate town. The name can also be said with mild humorous effect.
The town also featured in Countryfile
Countryfile
Countryfile is a British magazine-style television programme produced by BBC Birmingham, first aired on 24th July 1988, which reports on rural and environmental issues within the United Kingdom. For its first 20 years it was fronted by broadcaster John Craven, until he stepped back from the role of...
, as a 'mystery town'. The town's cattle market featured in the programme; it was the last cattle market ever in the town centre site in 2005. Local people participated in the programme from the local Uttoxeter Advertiser and Uttoxeter Racecourse staff.
Oldfields Hall Middle School was featured in the film A Room for Romeo Brass
A Room for Romeo Brass
A Room for Romeo Brass is a 1999 comedy drama film directed and written by Shane Meadows. It was co-written by frequent Meadows collaborator Paul Fraser....
, written and directed by Shane Meadows and Paul Fraser
Paul Fraser
Paul Ian Fraser came to prominence through his involvement in the purchase and sale of the famous stamps firm Stanley Gibbons which he sold at a great profit, only to see most of the proceeds lost following trading difficulties...
, two Uxonians who have risen to fame.
The town also featured in a critically praised short story entitled "The Long, Long Road to Uttoxeter" by journalist and TV presenter Rod Liddle
Rod Liddle
Roderick E. L. Liddle is an English print, radio, and television journalist.He is an associate editor of The Spectator, and former editor of BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he is the author of Too Beautiful for You , Love Will Destroy Everything , and co-author of The Best of Liddle Britain...
in his book Too Beautiful for You.
Top Gear presenter and journalist Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...
has previously written that his favourite car journey of all time was in an Aston Martin
Aston Martin
Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars, based in Gaydon, Warwickshire. The company name is derived from the name of one of the company's founders, Lionel Martin, and from the Aston Hill speed hillclimb near Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire...
from Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
to Uttoxeter Race Course.
Utoxeter Racecourse has been used on several occasions as the racecourse visited by residents of the popular soap Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
Uttoxeter is the home of Rockin' Johnny Austin MBE - recognised for this charity work, rock and roll songs such as Rockabilly Stroll which was a minor hit in the 1980s. John also produced a World Cup Single in 2010 call Victory Day which was filmed on location in Uttoxeter Market Place.
Education
Uttoxeter has a three-tier schooling system that consists of several first schools, three middle schools (Oldfields Hall Middle SchoolOldfields Hall Middle School
Oldfield Hall Middle School is a Middle School in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. it is one of three middle schools in the area, the others being Windsor Park School which is Also in Uttoxeter and Ryecroft School in Rocester...
, Windsor Park Middle School and Ryecroft Middle School, Rocester) and a high school. The high school, Thomas Alleyne's
Thomas Alleyne's High School
Thomas Alleyne's High School is a secondary school in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England. It is one of three schools founded in 1558 from the will of Thomas Alleyne. It has four different coloured houses: Elkes , Orme , Torrance and Whitmore...
, has over 1,400 pupils, an astroturf
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
football pitch, swimming pool, gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasium and several grass football pitches. Thomas Alleyne's is the only high school in Staffordshire that offers an accelerated mathematics course, RAF fast track scheme and a farm. The school also includes a sixth form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
centre, and is one of three schools founded by the 16th century priest Thomas Alleyne
Thomas Alleyne
Thomas Alleyne was an English priest from Uttoxeter of the sixteenth century.In his will he endowed three schools:*The Thomas Alleyne School, Stevenage, Hertfordshire,*Alleyne's High School, Stone, Staffordshire...
.
Prior to this educational structure, the town had a selective secondary and grammar school system which consisted of Windsor Park Boys' School, Oldfields Girls' School and Alleyne's Grammar School.
Sport
Uttoxeter RacecourseUttoxeter Racecourse
Uttoxeter Racecourse is a National Hunt racecourse in the town of Uttoxeter, in Staffordshire, England.Uttoxeter is a left-handed oval shaped course of one mile two and a half furlongs in circumference....
, which is home to the Midlands Grand National, is one of Uttoxeter's most famous landmarks and is a short walk from the town centre.
Uttoxeter Rugby Club
Uttoxeter Rugby Club
Uttoxeter Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union club that plays in the Midlands Division.-History:Uttoxeter Rugby Football Club was formed in 1982...
was formed in 1982 when JCB Rugby club began to play its games at Oldfields sport and social club in Uttoxeter establishing the first Rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
side in the town traditionally associated with football. In those days there was no league structure in place nationally so Uttoxeter played "friendly" fixtures and developed great rivalries with other local sides including Cannock and Rugeley which have endured over the last 20 years.
Uttoxeter has a small football club called Uttoxeter Town. There is also Rocester F.C.
Rocester F.C.
Rocester Football Club is a football club based in Rocester, near Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England.-History:Rocester Football Club was formed in 1876 and for over a century played in various local leagues including the Stafford Amateur League and Uttoxeter and District League until they became...
in the nearby village of Rocester
Rocester
Rocester is a village and civil parish in the East Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. Its name is spelt Rowcestre in the Domesday Book.-Geography:...
.
Bramshall Road Park is the town's recreational ground and offers tennis courts, skate ramps, a basketball court, a football pitch, a bowling green and two children's play areas, as well as floral arrangements and fields. Uttoxeter Golf Course is a short walk from the main town. The Manor golf course is 3 miles out of the centre.
Uttoxeter Leisure Centre in Oldfields Road has a swimming pool, gym and sports hall.
See also
- Dovegate Prison
- St Mary the Virgin Church UttoxeterSt Mary the Virgin Church UttoxeterThe Parish Church Of Saint Mary The Virgin commonly referred to as St. Mary's by locals, is the parish church for the town of Uttoxeter. The Present structure dates from 1877 however the spire dates from the 15th century and the church is Grade II* Listed...
- The HeathThe HeathThe Heath GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association gaelic football club in County Laois, Ireland.The club was founded in 1888. Originally the club was known as St. Patrick's...
External links
- Uttoxeter Community Web Site
- Staffordshire County Council
- Alton Towers
- Theatre Cats Stage School
- East Staffordshire Borough Council
- Flourish Festival
- Heart of England Way Association
- JCB
- Thomas Alleyne's High School
- Uttoxeter.biz, Local Community Website
- Uttoxeter Cinebowl
- Uttoxeter Civic Society Web Page and Blog
- Uttoxeter Lions
- Uttoxeter Racecourse
- Uttoxeter Rotary Club
- Uttoxeter Rugby Union Football Club
- Uttoxeter Mind
- Uttoxeter Town Brass Band
- Uttoxeter Annual May Festival
- St Mary's Church, Uttoxeter
- http://www.uttoxeterpeople.co.uk